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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Since September 17, Disneyland has been doused in Halloween directions, giving anyone who visits between now and October 31 a completely different Disneyland experience than if they had visited any other time of year.

I remember going to Disneyland a couple of years ago and hopping on Haunted Mansion Holiday, which is when, for those of you who don't know, the Haunted Mansion gets taken over by the characters from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The transformation of the ride is amazing, especially since it only lasts for two months. But amazing doesn't necessarily mean entertaining.

I was left missing the old Haunted Mansion, and thinking about those who will only go to Disneyland once or twice in their life, and how if this is the Haunted Mansion experience they get, they are being let down and left out. And that's leaving out all the people who visited between late August and mid-September who didn't even get to ride the Haunted Mansion since it was closed to put in the ride overlay.

It's a great addition that really sends home the Halloween theme, but it's taking a classic ride and turning it into a less exciting dark-ride that relies too heavily on the black light effect.

I have not been during the Halloween season since they added a second ride overlay at Space Mountain. According to the DIS Unplugged, the overlay "transforms the ride into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. On the inside of Space Mountain the soundtrack changes and many of the visuals change. The launch sequence is very different and the ghost follows you throughout the ride."

The installation of Space Mountain's overlay only closes what is arguably Disneyland's most popular ride for five days, which is much better than the month or so it takes to transform The Haunted Mansion into a nightmare.

What do you think about the Halloween ride overlays? Are they a great addition or do you miss the original?

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

This years answer to the D23 Expo, Destination D, starts today at the Disneyland resort.

Destination D, which will alternate yearly with the D23 Expo, takes place during Disneyland's 55 anniversary. It's purpose is to celebrate the history of the Disneyland resort, taking "D23 Members on a mesmerizing journey through the design, creation, debut and magical history of the world's first Disney theme park."

For some reason, Disney thinks it's a great idea to schedule these things right in the middle of school, work, and just about everything else. It's nice to see that next year's D23 Expo will be taking place on August 19-21, so at least all my friends on the quarter system will be able to attend.

Highlights from the event include the Mickey Mouse Club 55th Anniversary presentation, which will reunite original Mouseketeers and E-Ticket: Music from the Disney Parks, a concert of memorable tunes through the years at the Disneyland Resort.

There will be many different presentations, all centered around the history of the original Disney park, focusing on things from merchandise to the 1964 New York World's Fair and the Development of Audio-Animatronics. Experts, including some who work on the Disney Archives, will be giving these presentations.

Needless to say, I'm bummed to the max that I will not be able to make it, as one of my favorite things to read about Disney-wise is the history of Disneyland.

To all those who are able to make it, have fun, and take lots of pictures!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

You don't think because you're Gaston? Well, if you're not, then you might think this is pretty cool.

If you didn't just click the link, I'll explain. Fathom events, that company that broadcasts football games, U2 concerts and the Met opera to movie theaters around the nation is putting on a "Beauty and the Beast" sing-a-long on 9/29 & 10/2!

And since what Fathom Events specializes in is live events, it doesn't stop there. According to its website, the event will include "commentary from producer Don Hahn, interviews with the cast and an inside look at how the animation was created."

Songs to sing-along-to include “Be Our Guest,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Belle” and “Gaston.” Jordan Sparks will introduce the new feature, and give a behind the scenes look into how the movie was converted in HD for the theater after a 19 year absence.

So don't miss out, and "Be our guest" or Fathom even'ts guest, I guess, and check it it's playing in your area here.

It will either be very exciting, or they'll announce a new parade or two and some new way to get people through the gates at their parks. But they will be live blogging it here on the Disney Parks blog, and apparently the whole thing will be interactive. Sounds pretty cool to me.

Let's hope they knock our socks off tomorrow. They always do, most of the time.

The event will take place at at 12:45 p.m. EST, so that's (12:45-3=) 9:45 a.m. for us West Coasters, you know, the people who live in the time zone Walt did.

The official Disney Parks Twitter page will also be giving out snippet of new info until the event takes place, so check it out.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

It's something that I've wanted to do since I found out about it in high school. I chose to do Walt Disney World instead of my favorite park, Disneyland, since I will be spending 9 months there and wanted to get to know something new.

I'm so glad that the wait is over and I know what I will be doing for the spring semester and summer. I leave on January 19 and get back on August 8 for the Spring advantage program. I have been hired as as a quick service food and beverage attendant, no doubt because of my background at McDonald's. I hope to work some sort of stand outside so I can move around, getting to experience working all four parks and beyond.

I can not put into words how excited I am. I haven't been to WDW since 6 grade, where I had my 12 birthday on the Disney Magic cruise ship. Since then I have been devouring as much information as I could find via blogs and podcasts about the resort, and I can't wait to go back and see first hand all the things Ricky Brigante and Lou Mongello have been talking about.